The Grizzlies seemed to have the game in hand in the third quarter. After a basket, Ja Morant even allowed himself to chamber his defender. However, the Memphis playmaker will come out and in a duel between the substitutes of the two teams, it is the Rockets, with Tari Eason and Amen Thompson in particular, who will make the difference.
Scotty Pippen Jr., Jake LaRavia and even Jay Huff will indeed find themselves in difficulty scoring points, facing a team that is very focused on protecting its circle. Result: a 17-0 in less than five minutes.
“The whole dynamic changed when we started to step up defensively. They were suffocated”, comments Amen Thompson. “We constantly talk about what we can do defensively and how good we can be if we are focused”continues Tari Eason, who entered during this big streak for the Rockets.
“These two can wreak havoc on defense”
The two Houston substitutes imposed their power and aggressiveness, even far from the circle, on the Grizzlies. “We looked at each other, we spoke with the coach and we knew we had to move up a gear”explains Tari Eason. “Thompson, Eason and the others were very motivated”rejoices Ime Udoka.
We must not forget Alperen Sengun's 10 rebounds in this third quarter alone. Nevertheless, this Tari Eason – Amen Thompson duo, seen so little last season due to injuries, showed good things. “We have to bring energy on defense. Eason and I have excellent cohesion”said the second.
The two men compiled 22 points and 11 rebounds in this game, offering a very interesting weapon to Ime Udoka coming off the bench, who intends to align them together as much as possible.
“I do it for a lot of reasons. First, there is their defensive versatility. They can correct a lot of mistakes […] These two can wreak havoc on defense”notes the Rockets coach. “No matter who is next to them, we know there will be positives defensively. »
